March 16, 2013 - 17:27 AMT
FIFA's medical boss against 2022 Qatar World Cup

FIFA's medical chief is against holding the 2022 World Cup in the summer heat of the desert nation Qatar, AP reported.

Michel D'Hooghe added a strong voice to the debate about whether Qatar should stick to the traditional slot of June for a World Cup or shifted to a time of the year when the climate is more temperate.

Even though D'Hooghe says games and trainings would be held in climate conditioned temperatures of 21 degrees (70 F), the thousands of fans and other officials following the month-long tournament would have to deal much more with the scorching heat.

"Personally, I think it would be a good thing if we could play this World Cup in better temperatures than in full summer in Qatar," D'Hooghe says.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter says that for the time being "it is a problem without solution." -s-t